Thursday, August 18, 2016

He didn't need dark shades or black leather. He didn't need chains or a studded collar. He just had the attitude of all of it.

Self-confidence that broke the ceiling and shoved the walls. He was completely bad to the bone like that. Brut was a rock star everywhere he went.

And I miss that HUGE attitude.

The way he walked so big and proud. So sure of himself that just walking him was like his own personal concert. He was so over the top that I was and still am in awe of him. Hoping some of that confidence would rub off on me.

Brut was so solid and smooth. Every move methodically planned with grace and ease. He moved as readily as he breathed, down to the paw.

He owned it. He owned us, the neighborhood, the road, the sky. He claimed it and he let everyone know it was his. We lived by his rules and his rules alone.

And I think of all the walks we took together and what a honor it was to be part of his parade. And yet so humble that he chose to share his stardom with me.

For there will never be another Brut in this world or the next. I feel more than chosen, it was an honor to serve and be part of this being of creation.

Monday, August 8, 2016

Well, you've heard about our success with Nexguard for flea and tick prevention for the dogs, now we are going to turn it over to the feline of the house, Boxer to see what he is using.

Boxer take it away!

Well, I get a yummy treat every night with my canned food. It is liver flavored and goes well with my ocean fish and tuna mix. I don't know what it is but my coat is wonderfully soft and silky smooth and with no bugs. Mom, tell that what it is...

OK Boxer, as you wish. The product is called "Flea Away." It repels mosquitoes, ticks and fleas by masking the Co2 our pets produce that attracts these pest. "Flea Away" is a vitamin...Yes, a vitamin that mask this Co2 (something humans can't smell) which in turn keeps them from getting on your pet.

I check Boxer every couple of weeks and so far it has been working. No ticks or fleas.

One of the down sides is that it takes about 30 days to become effective, so it's best to start Flea Away before fleas and ticks are active. But after that it seems to be working.

On the plus side, Boxer's fur is as he said, silky, shiny, and oh so smooth.

I must tell you that the last two years Boxer has been going outside without any preventive on and has never gotten fleas, but my fear was ticks, and so instead of using a topical (which I've never liked the idea for cats) we decided to test him out with Flea Away. Like I said, so far so good.

We found Flea Away through Chewy.com. They have always been great to us.

And as always, nobody is paying us for our thoughts, we are just sharing products we are using and our experience with them.

Friday, August 5, 2016

We've always hated the topical flea preventatives. They are messy, oily, and they smell. The dogs always freak out when it is time to put it on and we humans dread doing it. So when they came out with a soft chewable "treat" called Nexguard for flea and tick,we thought this might be our answer.

We had a few concerns about this new product that we discuss with our vet. One of the biggest was price. It was pretty pricey for our two packs and then we had to worry if it didn't work, or worse the dogs had side effects. We also give Heartguard, a heart worm preventive made by the same company as Nexguard, and were scared there would too much insecticide in their systems. Unlike the topical that would get absorbed into the dogs skin, making us think they weren't getting as much into their system.

No oozy messes or freaking out. This stuff is great!

We went back and forth with our options and questions. Price was a big factor, it was out of our price range for what we had been paying for the topical, but our vet was able to give us a good deal on both the Heartguard and Nexguard and we took the plunge.

The dogs loved it! They gobbled them right up. No leaving these boxes out and about or we would have sick dogs. The "treats" are a soft chew treats about an inch long rectangular cube and are liver flavor. They are taken once a month and it was such a relief not to deal with frumpy, greasy, smelly dogs each month. I still can't believe just giving this treat takes care of fleas and ticks without the mess.

And the beds and couches just smell like dog!

Now, you ask, how does it work? It seems to be working well No fleas or ticks, except for a dead tick I found on the bed. A good sign it is working. And the dogs and I couldn't be happier!

Would I say it is worth the extra cash? Yes. Definitely. We will be doing it again next year for certain. It used to take two of us to put the topical on the dogs and it was awful. Now, either of us can give them a chew and they are good to go.

What do you use for flea and tick medicine? Are you happy with it?

Disclaimer: This is our personal experience and just wanted to share that we are happy with Nexguard. The Nexguard people do not know we exist and we are not being compensated for anything.
Tune in for our next post to see what Boxer the cat is taking for his flea and tick prevention!